Younger Dryas climate crisis likely drove megafauna extinction. Around 12,900 years ago, temperatures plunged back toward near-glacial conditions in the Younger Dryas Some regions experienced shifts in decades, a human lifetime Ecosystems rearranged: grasslands contracted, forest belts shifted hundreds of kilometers
Around 12,900 years ago, temperatures plunged back toward near-glacial conditions in what we call the Younger Dryas. Some regions experienced shifts in decades - a single human lifetime. Ecosystems rearranged completely: grasslands contracted, forest belts shifted hundreds of kilometers. Habitats fragmented, which is lethal for megafauna. The majority of large mammals over 44 kg disappeared between roughly 13,000 and 10,000 years ago. Human populations were also hit by the same climate shock. Researchers argue this climate event aligns with the scale of extinction rather than small human bands with stone points.
Key Facts
- Around 12,900 years ago, temperatures plunged back toward near-glacial conditions in the Younger Dryas
- Some regions experienced shifts in decades, a human lifetime
- Ecosystems rearranged: grasslands contracted, forest belts shifted hundreds of kilometers
- Habitats fragmented, which is lethal for megafauna
- Majority of large mammals over 44 kg disappeared between roughly 13,000 and 10,000 years ago
- The Clover culture in North America disappears from archaeological record as megafauna vanish
- Human populations were also hit by the same climate shock
- The climate shock that reshaped continents aligns with the scale of extinction rather than small human bands with stone points
Source: We’re Probably Wrong About the Ice Age Extinction by Michael Button